Been getting mixed opinions, some say if there’s no issue and it’s holding air to just leave them. Others are saying it’s a blowout waiting to happen.
Context:
700c x 28 Continental GP5000
I ride around 200km a week, mostly roads and some poor quality shared paths.
I bought this bike second hand a month ago so not too sure when they were last changed.
by Senior-Marketing3637
12 Comments
I see nothing that in itself would prevent me from riding this tire, but I would inspect the rest of the tire and check that those little cracks are only superficial.
That 100% looks like dry rot. I would NOT risk it with those at face value. That bike was likely sitting outside in the sun. Considering it’s only in the center of the tread it MIGHT be okay. It depends on how deep the cracks go and if there is enough good rubber under there.
Basically, the tires are probably old and/or the rubber is not good anymore so it’s splitting apart. Dry rot starts from the surface and works down toward the center. If it was on the side of the tire too it would be much more concerning. Feel free to google dry rot and come to your own conclusion. It’s very common on cars in the SW US since the sun can cause the tires to age quickly
Rub the rubber with your thumb with moderate pressure. If it crumbles and/or you get a black smear on your thumb it probably dry rot. It’s a flat waiting to happen and the will affect the handling/grip in the corner.
Edit: Continental puts tread wear indicators on the tire. [https://conti-tyres.co.uk/tread-wear](https://conti-tyres.co.uk/tread-wear) If the dry rot goes below the wear indicators, it is probably best to toss them.
These will fail, possibly catastrophically, whenever they want to. How lucky do you feel?
If you can afford it change them.. if you don’t mind having to call for a ride one day don’t change them 🤷♂️
I’d still use them but dig out the debris/glass bits that are embedded in the tire before they go through and puncture the tube.
They’re pretty damn dry rotted and there’s clearly a lot of glass in there. The dry rot isn’t likely to cause a blow-out but it will reduce your traction which decreases handling and breaking performance.
At minimum, I’d be taking them off and squeezing/picking out all the glass shards. That’s just to prevent the glass wearing through and causing punctures.
Better yet, buy a new tire and put it on the front – then put the better of the two old tires on the back. You could even keep the other old tire as a spare back tire.
Or just go and replace them both and have peace of mind.
Personally, I’d go with a new tire on the front and wear out the old tires on the back. Traction is less of a concern on the back (especially on pavement) and it won’t make much difference to your overall breaking performance.
Best case scenario, you are probably four times more likely to flat on that thing. Is there any reason to not replace it at that point?
I’ve run vintage tyres before. As long as I find them in good nick, I’d keep using.
But if my tyres were like your photo, I’d be ordering a new set already. Not worth the savings because I already expect that they will fail. And I wouldn’t want them to fail while I’m riding them.
My teeth says to bin it
I have been riding lot worse tires.
But only slow casual 1-4 km rides and tires were not thin and slick like this one.
It’s worn and cracked. You will get flats. Just slap on a new pair and keep on rolling.
I’ve ridden worse… they certainly aren’t new, but as long as there are no cuts in the actual casing, you’re fine. Take a pokey tool of your choice and dig all the small rocks and glass out, though.
Ultimately, the best option is to replace them and save these in the closet/garage as spares.